The recent Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue held in Vancouver has produced a joint statement outlining concerns about human trafficking at the February 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver-Whistler.Calling the Olympic Games “a celebration of human development through sport,” the statement also made it clear that the bishops are united as they “stand together to call attention to the profound social ill of human trafficking.”
They said the “buying and selling of human beings subverts the very essence of the Olympic spirit.”
Quoting a U.S. State Department report, the bishops said that an estimated 800,000 people are trafficked every year across national borders. Millions more are trafficked within their own borders.
“Our churches rejoice in the unity and respect that the Olympics signifies to the world,” said the bishops. However, they also “…call upon the faithful of our churches and all people of good will to uphold and defend the dignity of every human person.”We pray that the solidarity and success of the Olympic Games will give a new respect for human life around the world.”
